Dispensing carton



March 14, 1961 w. s. HUSS ETAL DISPENSING CARTON Filed June 24, 1957 'UIIIIA'IIIAWIIL Z N VEN TOPS: WILLIAM S. HUSS MORRIS M KUCHENBECKER BY% {UM AGENT DISPENSING CARTON William S. Huss, Appleton, and Morris W. Kuchenbecker, Neenah, Wis., assignors, by mesne assignments, to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 24, 1957, Ser. No. 667,540

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to a means for providing an opening in a paperboard carton, particularly for the dispensing of sheet material or other items which may be contained within the carton.

It is common to provide openable portions in paperboard cartons, defined by lines of perforations or by socalled cut score lines extending only partially through the carton wall, for example as illustrated in Gresenz Patent No. 1,935,905. However, it has been found ditficult to restrict to the line of the perforation the tearing action involved in opening the carton, it being particularly common for the tearing action to extend beyond the line of the perforation and peel or strip into the surface of the carton beyond the perforation line. This results in an unattractive appearance and a weakening of the carton wall, as well as considerable interference with the action of opening the carton.

Considerable effort has been devoted to attempts to eliminate the above problems, examples of which are set forth in Eckman Patent No. 2,608,341 and Hickin Patent No. 2,626,096. As illustrated by these two patented constructions, these efforts have involved impression of opening-defining cuts into the carton Wall from opposite sides of the wall. Unfortunately, impression of cuts into opposite sides involves a serious problem of register as well as an extra manufacturing step with consequent increased cost and diificulty of manufacture. In addition, the use of cut score lines impressed only partially through the carton material involves a difficult problem of control in maintaining the necessary tolerances involved in providing a substantial cutting of the carton material without cutting completely through. Perforations extending completely through the carton wall on the other hand present no manufacturing problem.

This invention involves the use of standard perforations for providing the dispensing opening, with the use of cooperating cut score lines merely as a safety means to restrict any tendency of the tearing action to peel or strip into the remaining carton wall. Since the cut score line serves only as a safety or limiting device, rather than as a means for defining the dispensing opening, it is only necessary that a slight cutting through of the surface of the carton wall be made, thus substantially eliminating the control problem referred to above. The cut score is impressed into the carton material from the same side as the perforation, and from the same side on which any printing ordinarily will appear, thus facilitating the manufacturing operation.

The objectives and advantages of the invention will be seen in further detail from the accompanying description and drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a carton incorporating the invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, partially cut away, taken along the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away, illustrating a step in opening of carton of Figure 1 United States PatentO lice Figure 4 is a perspective view similar to Figure 3 showing a further step in the opening operation and illustrating operation of the safety device forming the principal element of this invention, and

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partially cut away, taken along line 55 of Figure 4.

Referring first to Figure l, the carton is made from a paperboard blank suitably cut and scored to provide a top wall 1, end walls 2, side walls 3 and a bottom wall 4, conventionally adhered together by adhesive and glue tabs not shown. In the top wall 1 a tear-out or opening portion 5 thereof is defined and provided by a continuous perforation line 6, which is closely surrounded by a cut score line 7. Referring also to Figure 2, it is seen that the perforations of perforation line 6 extend completely through carton wall 1, while out score line 7, situated immediately adjacent and outside perforation line 6, extends only partially through wall 1. Perforation line 6 and cut score line 7 are impressed into wall 1 from the exterior surface thereof as seen in Figure 1, that is from the upper surface thereof as seen in Figure 2.

Referring also to Fi ure 3, opening of the carton is initiated by first releasing an end portion of tear-out panel 5 from the rest of wall 1 along perforation line 6. This may be done in any suitable way, and various auxiliary means to facilitate the initial release may be provided, such as tear tabs, portions completely out through wall 1, and the like. Since perforation line 6 provides a substantial separation of panel 5 from the remainder of wall 1, it may ordinarily be expected that continued pulling out of panel 5 will proceed in an orderly fashion along perforation line 6, resulting in a neat and attractive dispensing opening in the carton. However, due to irregularities in the perforation line or in the carton material, or due to a vagary in the opening action, on occasion there is a tendency of the upper surface of the carton material to strip or tear beyond the perforation line into the adjoining Wall surface, causing difiiculty in the opening operation and resulting in an unsightly appearance, particularly if the exterior surface of the carton was printed so a portion of the printing is torn away. Surface portion 8 of wall 1 (Figures 4 and 5) is repre sentative of this stripping or tearing out, Which would continue and extend without precise limitation except for the addition of cut score line 7.

Cut score line 7 is impressed into the outer surface of wall 1 in order that it may effectively restrict stripping into the visible wall surface. The cut score is impressed in the area outside perforation line 6 because it is this area that requires protection from mutilation through stripping; and the cut score is impressed immediately adjacent perforation line 6, in as close proximity as commercial manufacture will permit, in order that any stripping action which may occur will be limited to the least amount possible.

It will be apparent that by virtue of protective cut score line 7 any stripping action will be so restricted that the surface of the carton will not be significantly marred nor the strength of the carton wall seriously reduced. Thus, opening of the carton can be accomplished rapidly and efliciently without fear of adverse effect through improper opening action.

:It will be obvious that certain modifications and variations from what has been above shown and described might be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. For example, the opening desired may extend through one or more adjacent Walls of the carton, and may be of any desired shape. Therefore, it is to be understood that limitations on the invention are intended only as specifically set forth in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. Means for providing through the wall of a papercomprising a closed line of perforations defining and bounding a wall portion and providing a line of weakness along which said portion is separable from adjacent wall portions to provide said opening, said perforations being impressed into the wall from the exterior of the carton, and a continuous'closed cut score in said adjacent wall portions outwardly of said perforations and immediately adjacent the line of perforations and impressed into said wall portion from the exterior of the carton and extending only partially through said portions, said out score defining a removable wall portion and serving to prevent stripping of the exterior surface of the carton beyond the boundary presented thereby upon rupture of the carton along said perforations.

2, A container having walls of frangible material, at least one of said walls being provided with an openable portion for permitting access to the interior of the container, said openable portion being defined by a line of perforations to provide a line of weakness along which said portion is separable from adjacent wall portions to r provide said opening, said perforations being impressed into the container wall from the exterior of the container, and a cut score in said adjacent wall portions outwardly of said perforations and immediately adjacent the line of perforations and impressed into said wall portions from the exterior of the container and extending only partially through said portions, said out score defining a removable wall portion and serving to prevent stripping of the exterior surface of the carton beyond the boundary presented thereby upon rupture of the container along said perforations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,824,862 Young Sept. 29, 1931 1,992,222 La Grua Feb. 26, 1935 2,155,791 Holmes Apr. 25, 1939 2,608,341 Eckman Aug. 26, 1952 2,626,096 Hickin Jan. 20, 1953 20 2,750,096 Misch 2 June 12, 1956 

